Liang family?
Lin Shu's gaze turned cold. She'd already decided—once this was over, she'd target the Liang family next.
Blood Shadow Tower's development needed a huge amount of resources.
Since the Liang family was so rich, they'd make a perfect source for refueling Blood Shadow Tower.
At the same time, Yang Cheng had made up his mind to wipe out both Chen Mohai and the Liang family in one go.
The Liang family wasn't clean.
In his past life, after Chen Mohai sold him the Asura Blood Sword, he found out that Yang Cheng had managed to awaken it and actually tried to hunt him down afterward.
That was exactly why Yang Cheng made his offer without hesitation.
Whatever price he paid now, he would get back multiple times over later.
"10,000 high-grade spirit stones!"
Yang Cheng didn't want to waste time arguing with someone like Liang Yuan.
"You're full of crap, kid."
Liang Yuan cursed.
If it were the Liang family's chamber of commerce, they could probably afford 10,000 high-grade spirit stones.
But he was just the young master of the business. Inside his void ring, he only had about 5,000.
"Young master, please don't joke like that,"
Chen Mohai said with clear displeasure.
Without a word, Yang Cheng pulled out 5,000 high-grade spirit stones from his void ring.
The noisy square instantly fell silent.
10,000 high-grade spirit stones—enough to buy an entire small city.
Liang Yuan's expression turned incredibly ugly.
At the same time, many nearby eyes were already showing obvious greed.
Chen Mohai was overjoyed. "Deal! Deal!"
"Dammit!"
Liang Yuan couldn't help but curse. "Spending 10,000 high-grade spirit stones on a piece of junk—never seen someone this stupid."
Yang Cheng ignored him and picked up the Asura Blood Sword.
Chen Mohai dove madly toward the pile of spirit stones.
Ding!
[The Asura Blood Sword has returned to the host's hand.]
[Chu Xuzhi is a powerful Yang God cultivator, yet the host managed to reclaim the Asura Blood Sword from him completely unscathed.]
[The host's methods remain as unfathomable as ever—truly shocking.]
[? System detection: The Asura Blood Sword still carries its original Dao essence?]
[During the ancient era, the Asura Blood Emperor fell. His body crashed into the Desolate Realm, forming the Death Devil's Den, and his sword sank to the bottom of the Sui River, entering a self-sealed state.]
[500 years ago, the Asura Blood Sword was dredged up by Chen Mohai, breaking its seal. Its Dao essence began to leak and by the time it reached the host, it had nearly faded entirely.]
[But for some unknown reason, the sword's Dao essence has returned—nearly in its original state.]
[Host must begin enlightenment for the Asura Blood Sword immediately. A sword that holds Dao essence will gain extraordinary benefits from enlightenment. For every breath delayed, a portion of the Dao essence dissipates, and the effect of enlightenment weakens significantly.]
[Does the host wish to begin enlightenment for the Asura Blood Sword?]
Yang Cheng was stunned.
So what he'd once owned was actually a weakened version of the sword.
How terrifying would the Asura Blood Sword be in its complete state?
Compared to that, the people around him were completely insignificant.
At this moment, Yang Cheng didn't care whether revealing the sword's true nature would draw attention.
If anyone dared to covet the Asura Blood Sword—he'd just kill them.
"Begin enlightenment."
Yang Cheng made the decision immediately in his heart.
Buzz!
In an instant, the surface of the Asura Blood Sword rippled with blood-colored waves.
Then the sword began to change.
A mysterious and invisible Dao essence radiated from it.
This power felt completely different from the Asura intent he remembered.
The Asura intent he once knew was wild and bloodthirsty.
But this Dao essence was calm and sharp, like judgment and execution.
It felt like—he was no longer the Asura, but the master of the Asura.
"This isn't just Asura. This is the Dao of Asura."
Yang Cheng finally understood.
So this was what "enlightenment" meant.
[The Asura Blood Sword contains powerful original Dao essence. Enlightenment is fully complete.]
[Congratulations to the host. You have obtained the Asura Dao Sword.]
Now looking at the sword again, its appearance had changed entirely.
No longer rusty, it was now sleek and blood-red, visibly extraordinary at first glance.
"The aura it gives off now is almost like a divine weapon."
Yang Cheng thought, "But it doesn't seem to be one. Its Dao essence is hidden so deeply—not even I, as its master, can sense it clearly without focus."
The crowd erupted.
Liang Yuan's eyes went wide.
Clatter!
The spirit stones in Chen Mohai's hands fell to the ground. In that instant, they no longer felt precious.
Looking at the Asura Dao Sword, regret quickly appeared on his face.
"Divine weapon!"
"This is definitely a divine weapon!"
Cries of astonishment rang out.
"It's really a divine weapon! Young master, you've hit the jackpot!"
Xue Fu said excitedly.
Chu Meng, however, looked worried.
'A child holding gold in a busy marketplace'—this wasn't necessarily a good thing.
"I'm not selling this sword anymore,"
Chen Mohai muttered.
"How shameless can you be?"
Xue Fu said, "The deal's done. Money's been paid, sword's been handed over—it belongs to Young Master Yang now. You don't have the right to say it's not for sale."
Chen Mohai's face twisted. "I said it's not for sale, so it's not. This transaction is canceled."
Just then, a disturbance broke out at the edge of the crowd.
Several people with impressive auras walked in.
"That's Young Master Chu from the Chu family!"
"And that's Miss Murong from Divine Medicine Valley!"
The crowd grew even more excited.
"Chu Meng, it's your genius brother," Xue Fu whispered.
Leading the group were Chu Xianzhi from the Chu family and Murong Yun from Divine Medicine Valley.
"Chen Mohai, doing business requires integrity. Don't you agree?" Chu Xianzhi stared at him coldly.
Chen Mohai had no response.
Then Chu Xianzhi looked at Yang Cheng. "Little brother, I'll offer 30,000 high-grade spirit stones for your sword. What do you think?"
Everyone around held their breath.
Just flipping it once and it tripled in value—Yang Cheng had seriously hit the jackpot.
Chen Mohai was drowning in regret.
"Sorry…" Yang Cheng started.
Before he could even finish rejecting, Chu Xianzhi added, "Don't rush to say no. If you sell me this sword, you'll also gain the friendship of the Chu family."
That drove the surrounding onlookers mad with jealousy.
Murong Yun let out a quiet sigh.
She'd originally intended to compete with Chu Xianzhi.
But considering Divine Medicine Valley's influence in Great Zhou was far below that of the Chu family, she could only give up.
Everyone assumed Yang Cheng would agree.
In Great Zhou—or even the entire Desolate Realm—no one thought anyone could refuse the friendship of the Chu family.
Then the next moment, they heard Yang Cheng calmly say, "Sorry. The sword's not for sale."
The crowd was stunned.
Someone actually rejected the Chu family so directly and without hesitation?
Chu Xianzhi's eyes narrowed.
From childhood till now, no one had ever rejected him—much less in front of a crowd.
But only for a second. His face returned to a warm smile. "No matter. In business, mutual consent is everything. Just know—if you change your mind, you're welcome to find me anytime."
The crowd immediately started praising Chu Xianzhi's grace.
Afterward, Yang Cheng found a few little items he liked and bought them all without hesitation.
Before they knew it, night had fallen.
"Young Master Yang," Chu Meng said, "Hetian Town has a lot of inns. Given your situation now, you should choose one with a good reputation and strong defenses."
"The one Xue Fu and I are staying at is a Chu family property. It's the most reputable inn in Hetian Town. Why don't you stay there with us?"
"So soon, we're staying together?" Xue Fu teased.
"You rascal," Chu Meng's cheeks turned red. "I meant staying at the same inn—not the same room."
"Then I'll trouble you to lead the way," Yang Cheng said.
He didn't really care about safety. But if it was a Chu family property, the environment was likely pretty good.
Since he could enjoy some comfort, why not?
"Then let's move quickly," Chu Meng urged.
She hadn't told Yang Cheng the real reason.
She was worried that someone might target him for his divine weapon and wealth.
As long as they got back to the Chu family's inn early, she could rest easy.
Behind Yang Cheng, Lin Shu glanced at Chu Meng and stayed silent.
She'd been nearly invisible from beginning to end—easily ignored.
The four walked together.
Hetian Town was clearly bustling. But strangely, the farther they went, the more deserted it became.
"Chu Meng, why does this place feel so creepy?" Xue Fu muttered.
Chu Meng's face grew serious. She sensed it too—something was wrong.
'Still too late?'
Her heart sank.
The moment today's Dao Debate ended, she had rushed to escort Yang Cheng away. But still, it wasn't fast enough.
Just then, several figures appeared ahead.
Leading them was a man holding an iron fan, who smiled and said, "Little brother, hand over the divine weapon and your valuables. We'll spare your life."
Yang Cheng looked at him. "Jin Tieshan? You're from the Jin family of Wuzhou."
Jin Tieshan raised an eyebrow. "Little brother, you're quite well-informed."
Yang Cheng's gaze passed over him, landing on the others. "Chen Mohai, so you came after all. Even during the Dao Debate, your killing intent toward me was obvious."
Chen Mohai's eyes were cold. "Good. Since you knew, then hurry up. Our patience isn't that great."